Super Rug

Remember when I posted about sewing the other day and I jokingly mentioned wanting to use glue except I wasn't really joking? Well get ready to think "Oh no she di'nt!" because I totally did.

Now before anyone gets all judgey I'm just going to throw out there that super glue is awesome, they even named it "super" glue which is probably an indication of how awesome it is or they would have named it "mediocre glue." Or maybe even "pretty good glue." But it isn't named either of those things is it? And it is super. I mean it dries quickly, it holds incredibly well, and there are about a jillion formulas that cater specifically to your glue needs. I'm pretty loyal to super glue after having used it to hang wall shelves three times and it totally working. And I didn't have to buy a drill so that just made it extra super.

Anyways, sewing was hard and took forever and I didn't want to do it again so I bought a bunch of super glue and decided to get to work.

I started with nine 2'x3' rugs that I previously mentioned purchasing at Urban Outfitters. Also eight bottles of this glue which is a gel, meaning it won't just soak into something porous like fabrics. It's also meant for high traffic areas or even outdoors so I knew it would likely stand up to being walked on. I just can't put my rugs in the dishwasher.



Javier decided to help which was nice of him. You can tell how helpful he was by the blur that his ears are.


I laid out the rugs just to sort of get a feel for it and to match up the lines. If you're going to try this yourself you're just going to kind of accept things aren't going to be perfect because these rugs varied slightly in size (not enough for it to really matter) and there's really no way you can match up the patterns. With a rug this busy though it's doubtful anyone will notice.


Javi approves.


So then I started gluing. I just put a thin line on the end of one rug and pressed the next one to it. It dried matte and clear.


I glued three rugs end to end three times to create strips of rug that I could then glue together.



Javi decided he was too sparkly for this nonsense so he ditched me.


This is the rug in it's finished state which I guess pretty much just looks like the picture where I laid them out but it's actually different.


I bought this no slip stuff at IKEA for under the rug. While it wasn't the exact size it's large enough to keep the rug in place and me from falling. Also it may be the only thing at IKEA with a name that makes sense.


Still a work in progress obviously but I think the fact that I have fairly contemporary furniture makes this rug a little less southwestern and actually ends up looking really cool.


So, the point of this whole thing was to not have to spend the amount of money that a rug this size would usually cost, plus to get a rug that isn't boring for that same lower price. I bought nine rugs for $18 each, eight tubes of glue for $3.50 each, and that thing from IKEA that was around $4. So in total this rug project cost me about $194 and took about two hours to complete. I have to say I'm completely satisfied with the results.

Sew Ready to Use Glue

So remember how I said I sewed the other day and that I'd tell you more? Well, now I am telling you more.

I'm fairly creative but sewing isn't at all my thing. I think the primary reason for my lack of sewing success is a lack of patience. Or maybe I'm just being gentle with myself and really it's a lack of ability to bring a concept to fruition. Either way, I don't sew. But I had that really great seemingly unambitious sewing together a rug plan. So I needed to sew.

Obviously, as someone who doesn't sew (is this word not seeming like a real word to anyone else by now?), I don't have a sewing machine, but sewing by hand didn't actually seem all that difficult. Turns out it is. Like, a lot more difficult. I sat staring at the rugs for a good ten minutes before I could wrap my head around how to do this correctly.

Now you may ask why I would take on sewing rugs together when I have this going on:


And the answer to that is basically that I have ADD. Only not really. Mostly just when it comes to doing things I don't want to do. So when handed a room full of boxes to unpack I decide I should learn how to sew.

This project isn't finished but progress has been made. And here's evidence.

First of all, these rugs are about a jillion times more amazing than they looked online. I love all the colors and tufts of fabric. These are just getting stitched together end to end to make a runner for my hallway. They were purchased online at Urban Outfitters.



I decided to use this red burgundy color on these rugs and the orange color on rug project number two. Also, I can thread a needle.



See that thread sticking out? That's where I sewed.


Javi decided to help until he realized sewing is exhausting.



And this is what I accomplished. Which sort of just looks like I laid the rugs next to each other but I promise they're really sewn together. Also the cardboard boxes aren't going to be part of the final decor. Also, those ones are empty so I'm not actually doing nothing and waiting for the boxes to magically unpack themselves.


I'll reveal more as it gets farther along. I may take on the big rug this weekend.

Problem (possibly) Solved

Perhaps it says something about me that I don't even move for another four days yet I have spent hours online looking at rugs to buy, rugs to make, rugs to alter...I even tried to find a place to rent a loom. Seriously. I've made it my mission to have a not-boring rug that doesn't drain my bank account and I will stop at nothing.

Originally I posted about the possibility of dying or screenprinting a rug. And those were options that were definitely in the running. Eventually though I decided that although I had confidence I could successfully lighten a rug and dye it somehow I wasn't sure I could do it in a way that would keep the dye from wearing off on people's feet/socks/shoes. I still contemplated the screenprinting idea but in the back of my mind I kept thinking about how little I liked the idea of using a flat woven rug.

Then I saw this entry on Apartment Therapy about using smaller (and thereby less expensive) rugs to create a larger one by sewing them together. I didn't much care for it at the time and I thought it looked sort of cheap. I knew I could do it but I didn't have much interest. Not too far after that though this was posted and I realized this idea could be done in a cool way. Like so:



So I now my focus became finding a small rug I could get multiple of and sew together.

My first thought was in regards to size. Usually the smallest size rug is around 2'x3'. I decided if I used nine rugs I could create a 6'x9' rug which would be a pretty good size. Then I started thinking about pattern. I knew solid rugs were out because if I wanted a solid rug I would have just bought one at IKEA and I also didn't really like the look of the visible stitching. For me the idea was to create something that looked like one large rug rather than a bunch put together although I can understand how some people might actively try to achieve a patchwork look.

I've bought some small rugs from Urban Outfitters in the past and they've exceeded my expectations. They have a lot of really fun patterns and colors and the prices are extremely reasonable. Also, they have a really great policy of taking anything bought online back in store so I figured if I ordered nine rugs that turned out to be awful I could easily return them without having to ship them back. And I would have to buy online because no store was going to have nine of the same rug for me. So that's where I began my search.

Since the whole point of this adventure was to not spend a ton of money and still get something awesome out of it I started off by sorting the rugs available by price, knowing I would need to be sticking near the top of that list. These are some of the rugs I liked best:





The first rug I realized wouldn't work because of the tufted edges. No matter how I did it there would be these weird random puffs. There will be more from that rug later though.

The next rug is adorable and I love the colors but I don't think this project is really meant to be done with this kind of print. There's just no way to make it work and not look stupid.

The last rug though was perfect. There are tufts on the edges but there are also tufts in the rug itself so I'm fairly certain when stitched together this won't look crazy. The pattern is a little Arizona motel for me but since the rest of my furniture is a lot more modern and I love the colors in the rug I think it will be okay.

That first rug that obviously wouldn't have worked for an area rug is really pretty. If you look at the close up there are some great colors in there. I wanted to do something with it but I don't really need anymore 2'x3' rugs. Then I remembered that I am acquiring an awesome hallway that's actually big enough to be an entry way of sorts and I'm pretty sure that hallway could use a runner.

It may take me awhile but expect pictures of these projects both in progress and when finished. Also photos of the new place will be here Wednesday!

Technicolor Love

Miss Lana and I went out to breakfast and manicures the other day. While getting our nails done we were talking about decorating my apartment. While we were talking I confessed that I had realized while looking at furniture online that I am willing to pay way more for a purse than I am say, an armchair. And, luckily, she agreed. Which kept me from feeling like a crazy person. But this brings me to the topic of rugs.

Rugs are expensive. It's as simple as that. I don't think there's really any getting around it. And when you are looking for something other than a traditional Persian looking rug things get even more expensive.

After looking around a lot I had found one rug I liked. I figure I'll need something at least 5'x7' so spending less than $500 was looking less and less possible. Until I stumbled upon these.







These rugs are by a company called ABC Carpet and Home. As far as I understand, these rugs are worn vintage rugs that are somewhat bleached out then over dyed. I think they're gorgeous and would love to have one in my home. Here's the problem, the least expensive of these rugs is 3'x4'7", orange with a house (?) drawn on it, and $900. So in other words, buying one of these is not going to happen. But I mean, how hard could bleaching a rug and dying it be?

Apparently really ridiculously difficult. Check out comment number two.

Now I know I'm stubborn but I still feel compelled to try it. I figure I can buy a rug at IKEA for under $100, bleach/oxyclean/something it to lighten the color, then figure out a way to redeposit color. Perfection is not the goal here so it doesn't really matter if there are flaws. I know dye needs heat to set so maybe I can hand apply dye diluted in hot water? Use a blow dryer to set it? Ideas? Advice? Warnings that I may or may not head?

My other idea which is significantly more simple yet also less awesome is to get a low pile rug from IKEA and use silkscreen ink to basically just paint a design onto it. Silkscreen ink doesn't move unless it's washed without being heat set first. With most fabrics you can just throw whatever was silkscreened into the dryer after the ink dries to set it. With a rug I'm pretty sure sitting on the floor and blow drying the rug would work well enough. If I went this route I'd basically have two options, free hand paint a design with a brush or create a stencil and use a brush or roller to apply the ink. I think this idea would look best on a neutral rug, I'm thinking a darker gray, with a design in multiple colors. For that reason I don't want to use an actual silkscreen. The process just becomes too difficult when using too many colors.

If I went this route I'd likely end up with something along these lines.







What do you think? Take on the crazy difficult project with a hopefully amazing outcome or go the safe route?